Antique William Wyllie Nautical Maritime Boat First & Last Victory Lithographs

Description

Pair of hand colored lithograph prints depicting "The First Journey of Victory, 1778" and "The Last Journey of Victory, 1922," originally painted by William Lionel Wyllie and engraved by his son Harold Wyllie. Published by Robert Dunthorne & Son, 1922.

"William Lionel Wyllie (5 July 1851 – 6 April 1931) - Referred to as "Britain's premier marine artist of the later Victorian & early 20th century", Wyllie composed his artistry in the face of intense observation by the established English art world. He was born into a family of London painters in 1851. His father, William M. Wyllie, was a genre painter and his brother, Charles, was also accomplished in marine art. (His own son Harold later became a success in marine art.) Studying first at Heatherley's art school, his obvious natural talent was matched by his ambition and drive. He began to study at the Royal Academy in 1865. He was 17 when his first canvases were exhibited; one of which was purchased by the academy itself because "it was bound to acquire additional historical value", being the early work of a recognizably gifted artist. With his love for the sea, coupled with his unconventional observations and great technical skill, Wyllie painted tugs, barges and anything else that floated before him, often sketching while in a small dinghy. In addition to painting marine narratives which show the influences of both Turner and Constable, he depicted several events of World War I. He gained wide acclaim as an illustrator and print maker as well, and he considered a large oil panorama of the Battle of Trafalgar, the exhibit of which was ceremoniously opened by King George V, as his crowning achievement. He was also involved in the restoration of the H.M.S. Victory." (Source: askART)

"Harold Wyllie (1880-1973) - Marine painter, sculptor and engraver, born in London. Was the son of the marine artist William Lionel Wyllie and married the portrait painter Euphans Hilary Strain. Harold Wyllie was intended for the Navy, but failed his examinations and turned to art. In 1898 he went to New York as a special artist for The Graphic, then served in South Africa during the Boer War. For part of World War I he was a pilot with the Royal Flying Corps, then gained a commission in the Army, which he left in 1920 with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. Wyllie was then a student with Frank Short, having prior to the war studied with his father, Thomas Graham Jackson and Edwin Austin Abbey, the American painter. Acknowledged as an expert on shipping matters, Wyllie was in 1932 called on to supervise restoration of the Implacable.

Condition

Good Overall - wear to frames

Dimensions

22.5" x 0.75" x 26.5" / Sans Frame - 14" x 17.5" (Width x Depth x Height)